Bollywood actress Malaika Arora is not only known as a jury member on a reality show but for her special dance numbers such as Chaiyya Chaiyya, Munni Badnaam and Anarkali, as well. Now in a recent interview, Malaika defended her dance numbers and admitted she would want to ‘slap’ whoever refers to her as an ‘item’. Speaking to Anupama Chopra, she said, “Whenever I did a song I did it on my own accord, I never did it under any duress. I was comfortable.” She continued, “If I felt like I was not OK with something, I’d voice my opinion. I’d say, ‘no I don’t like that step’. If I felt like I was being objectified, I’d say it, and I’m not stupid.”
When asked what she thinks is the place of item songs in today's world, Malaika said, "Things have changed a lot. A lot of filmmakers have taken that stand to not have such songs in their films. I come from a different school of thought. If a woman feels that it is not a safe environment, then I (don’t think we should have them)," adding that she would never call for a ban on such songs, "Our films have always been about this (song and dance) culture, why should one just change it overnight?"
She further talked about her experience of doing dance numbers and stated, "Whenever I did a song, I did it on my own accord, I never did it under any duress. I was comfortable." She continued, "If I felt like I was not OK with something, I’d voice my opinion. I’d say, 'no I don’t like that step’. If I felt like I was being objectified, I’d say it, and I’m not stupid."
Malaika last performed a special dance number Hello Hello in the film Pataakha, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj.
